Emotiv Makes Debut, Offers Brain-Computer Interaction

It's pretty amazing that the Wii can translate your arm motions into game play. And remember Hey You, Pikachu, the N64 game where you could shout commands at the little yellow Pokémon? I remember it, and it was kind...

It's pretty amazing that the Wii can translate your arm motions into game play. And remember Hey You, Pikachu, the N64 game where you could shout commands at the little yellow Pokémon? I remember it, and it was kind of cool, I guess.

But imagine if you could play video games with your mind! It sounds wild, but Emotiv wants to make it happen. The San Francisco-based Emotiv Systems came out of stealth today to make its public debut. The company calls itself "a pioneer in brain computer interface technology," and they hope to revolutionize how humans interact with machines.

For now, though, Emotiv is starting with video games. The Emotiv Development Kit (EDK) they launched today for electronic game developers includes a headset with sensors for detecting brain activity and a series of development suites that respond to facial expressions (Expressiv), emotional states (Affectiv), and conscious thoughts (Cognitiv). This could mean features like avatars that smile when you smile, enemies that sense fear, and virtual telekinesis. Take that, Pikachu!